Master Chinese Drawing Technique: Step-by-Step Bird & Flower Painting Guide

Step One

Outline the flower heads and the bird's chest and belly with light ink. Use dark ink to outline the main leaves and the bird's eyes and beak. Use heavy ink for the bird's wings, tail feathers, and claws. For the back of the leaves and branches, use medium ink. Apply strokes steadily, neither too fast nor too slow.

Step Two

Dampen the Xuan paper with clean water using a brush designed for background textures. Mix stone blue as the main color with ink, a little vermilion, and a little gamboge to create a bluish-gray, then brush it onto the background. While the paper is still damp but not wet, use absorbent paper to lift off the color from the flower head areas. Do not use too much color at once; you can apply it in several layers. Finally, lightly apply a layer of medium yellow to the top of the painting to enrich the colors and add variation to the background.

Step Three

For the flower heads, mix titanium white with water to create a light white and apply it evenly. Be careful not to make the titanium white too thick, as it might obscure the ink lines of the flowers. For the main leaves, mix phthalocyanine blue, gamboge, and a little ink to create a green, then apply it evenly. Paint the back of the leaves with phthalocyanine green. Mix vermilion, ink, and gamboge to create a brownish-yellow, then apply it evenly to the bird and branches. The bird's wings and tail feathers can be painted with a lighter shade.

Step Four

For the flower heads, mix gamboge, a little vermilion, and a little phthalocyanine blue to create a bud-yellow. Use this to repeatedly shade the petals with light layers, bringing out the light, dark, and layered appearance of the flowers. For the main leaves, use phthalocyanine blue and ink for repeated shading. For the back of the leaves, mix phthalocyanine blue, ink, and gamboge to create an aged green for shading. Use the tip of a weasel-hair brush with medium ink to stipple and rub the branches; ensure the brush is slightly dry. Use ink to shade the bird, highlighting its light, dark, and structural elements. Lightly apply one or two layers of dilute titanium white powder to the white parts of the bird's head and abdomen for shading.

Step Five

For the flower heads, deepen the darkest areas by adding ink to the bud-yellow, then lightly apply a wash of carmine mixed with a little ink to create a reddish tint on the petals; apply a second, slightly heavier layer. Next, use titanium white to highlight the brightest parts of the petals, and use gamboge mixed with titanium white to dot the stamens. After applying grass green evenly to the main leaves, use malachite green to highlight them. For the back of the leaves, use malachite green mixed with a little titanium white for highlighting. For the background, use grass green mixed with a little ink to create a dark green and apply a wash, being careful to leave the flowers and leaves uncolored. Apply grass green in reverse to the edges of the flower petals to help the flowers blend more with the background. After lightly shading the branches with ink, use medium-dark ink to add moss dots. Further detail the bird by applying a wash of light brownish-yellow, then use ink to add fine feather lines. Use titanium white for the white feathers and to add highlights to the eyes.